I agree that this is America's usual MO but what's different this time around is that for the first time since 1945 there's a credible movement to dedollarize and move away from the USD as the world's reserve currency. Military spending is macroeconomicly just like any other type of government consumption in that it has to be paid for. Previously America printed USD to cover the cost, knowing that the rest of the world would eat the inflation instead of the US. It seems like America might be reaching the limits of that with it's debt problems and dedollarization. The next war might be one war too far.